Sibongakonke Shoba
7 January 2009
Johannesburg — THE Congress of the People (COPE) says it will parade senior African National Congress (ANC) members who will have joined them at a rally in Durban on Saturday, while the ruling party has warned the new party not to invite its members to the meeting to avoid any clashes.
Christopher Msibi, COPE's head of elections in KwaZulu- Natal, said the party would announce the names of ANC provincial executive members, mayors and MECs who would resign to join COPE. He expected about 200 new members.
Since its formation last year, COPE has struggled to lure senior ANC members in KwaZulu-Natal. There was confusion last year after party president Mosiuoa Lekota said the party had convinced struggle veteran Fatima Meer to join. Meer later issued a statement refuting Lekota's claim .
The new party's support is growing at a snail's pace in ANC president Jacob Zuma's home province. Political analyst Protas Madlala said this was because the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal was stronger and more united than in other provinces.
Madlala said COPE would need "strong" local leaders to woo voters. "So far they don't have those people, unless they are still hiding," Madlala said.
Msibi said there were about 30000 registered COPE members in the province. "Our volunteers are hard at work recruiting more members as we speak."
The party expects about 25000 people to fill the Glebelands sports field at Umlazi to hear Lekota speak. Although most are expected to come from Durban, Msibi said people would be bussed from all parts of the province. He said security would be tight . "We have made arrangements with the police and we will also have our own security officials present."
The party has not held a rally in the province as previous meetings were marred by clashes between COPE supporters and those of the ANC.
Madlala said it was a "very brave" decision for COPE to hold its rally at Umlazi instead of the suburbs or in town. He would not be surprised if violence broke out on Saturday. "Even when the ANC holds a rally in the area there are always clashes. The ANC and the IFP (Inkatha Freedom Party) are very organised in that area."
The ANC has warned COPE not to invite ruling party members to the rally, to avoid clashes. Party provincial secretary Senzo Mchunu said no ANC member would attend unless invited. "They must not invite our members because if they do I will advise them to go."
Mchunu said people who disrupted a COPE meeting in Verulam last year -- where Lekota was to speak -- were invited by the new party. "They sent out SMSes inviting our members. I advised one of them to attend the meeting as he was invited."
Another COPE meeting was disrupted in Chatsworth.
Mchunu said the ANC would focus on its programmes, not on "COPE activities". "It is not part of our programme to follow COPE."
The party will hold its provincial list conference at the DLI hall in Durban on Friday. Mchunu said the party would launch its provincial manifesto at KwaDukuza on Sunday, a day after the national launch in East London.
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